If you're nagged by nightmares of wasting trees and adding toxic inks, lead-laced circuit boards, and plastic to landfills, there's good news. Vendors have reduced the ozone emissions from laser printers, and some companies are cooking up biodegradable hardware. Follow these tips to wisely pick and use a printer with minimal waste.

• By our count, printer makers that recycle cartridges and hardware include HP, Canon, Dell, and Lexmark. Konica Minolta and Xerox will recycle your old printer for free, and Epson does so for a fee. Find out more about corporate citizens' environmental efforts.
• Four hundred million electronic gadgets go to U.S. dumps each year. Invest in a printer that's built to last, and extend your warranty.
• Printers with duplexers can halve your paper use.
• Make sure the printer won't jam with lightweight recycled or unbleached papers.
• Well-designed control panels with LCDs let you preview your prints before you use paper.
• A draft-mode feature reserves ink or toner for high-priority jobs.
• Look for the Energy Star logo, which means that the printer conserves energy when not in use.